1). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic assembly including a semiconductor package substrate, a semiconductor chip mounted to the substrate, and a socket for the substrate.
2). Discussion of Related Art
Integrated circuits are manufactured on semiconductor substrates and may include a plurality of electrical components such as transistors, diodes, resistors, and capacitors connected to one another through metal lines and vias above the electrical components to form a semiconductor chip.
Contact pads are formed on a surface of the semiconductor chip and other ones of the metal lines and vias connect selected ones of the contact pads to selected terminals of selected ones of the electrical components. These contact pads include voltage and drain contact pads and other ones of the contact pads include input signal and output signal contact pads. Solder balls or other electrical contacts are usually formed on the contact pads. A solder ball may be damaged if a current passing therethrough is very high, such as often occurs in solder balls that are used for providing electrical voltage to or providing electrical drain from the integrated circuit.
Similar problems exist in vias and pins of a semiconductor package substrate to which such a semiconductor chip is mounted. Terminal pins are often provided on a surface of the semiconductor package substrate opposing a surface to which the semiconductor chip is mounted. The terminal pins are used for complementarily mating with socket openings in a socket substrate. These terminal pins or the sockets may be damaged by power or ground currents that are very high.